Benefits of PRAAT :
• Free
• Well known in the world of sound processing
• Internal powerful programming language
• Calculates spectrogram
• Extraction of fundamental and formant
• All classical operators ( Jitter, Shimmer , HNR , etc. ..)
• Well suited to the discovery of sound/speech characteristics
• Using the programming language, you may pilot statistical analysis rapidly
Disadvantages of PRAAT :
• No real time feature (recorded first , then display and apply computational tools)
• Not always easy to use : several commands to chain in order to obtain a result
• Complex menus, most commands without interest for speech therapists
• Indicators of voice quality ( shimmer , jitter , APQ , PPQ ) poorly adapted to the context of speech theraphy
• Indicators not easy to comparable to MDVP results using similar computational algorithms
• Noise-sensitive algorithms, delicate algorithm setting requiring good knowledge of sound processing
• No pathological voice database
| PRAAT | VOCALAB | |
| Free | Low cost | Cost |
| Web-based support | Available; dedicated trainings organized regularly | Training for speech therapists |
| Signal processing-oriented interface | Speech-therapy-friendly interface with expert therapist on-line resources | User-friendly interface |
| Step-by-step voice analysis with state-of-the-art signal processing algorithms. | Real-time voice analysis using speech-therapy optimized signal processing | Quick on-device voice analysis |
| Numerous options, choices of algorithms and parameters | Strict minimum | Speech processing parameters |
| no real-time features. Based on recorded samples. | Real-time spectrogram for voice analysis. "before/after" speech representations for objective progress analysis | Immediate audio playback with visual feedback |
| No media library | High-quality voice recordings, media-library of 100 sound | High-quality voice recordings |
| none | 100 sounds in media library and on-line data base of more than 250 pathological voice samples | Data base of voices |
| May be programmed | Handling of ambient noise with advanced filtering algorithms | Automatic cancelation of the ambient noise |
| Many indicators ; user’s defined parameters may be programmed | 5 indicators of voice quality optimized for speech therapy | Voice Stability Analysis |
| none | Dedicated indicator | Vowel Attack evaluation |
| Vary depending on indicators and operating procedure | Fixed to 1.0 | Pathology thresholds |
| No figure for illustrating the vocal range extraction, No phonetogram available | Analysis of pitch, range, generation of relevant pictures as well as phonetogram extraction | Recording and analysis of text |
| No direct evaluation | Dedicated screen, automatic computing of averages and pathology index | Analysis of S/Z, A/Z ratio |
| Available through text | Available through dedicated graphics | Analysis of mean pitch and pitch range |
| Non dedicated interface but feasible | Measurement of the longest you can hold a note, including A/Z and S/Z ratio for in-depth pathology analysis. | Measurement of the longest you can hold a note – Maximum Phonation Time (MPT) |
| No dedicated interface, but can be measured | Singing pitch range analysis, conversion into note range, illustration of voice mechanism using spectrogram | Singing pitch range |
| May be programmed using internal software resources, but no dedicated interface to speech therapy. | History of voice indicators, vocal range, pitch, MPT, before, during and after therapy for immediate visualization of progresses in therapy. | History of pitch, jitter, shimmer, pitch range, singing pitch range and MPT |
| Statistical analysis can be performed with good knowledge of internal language and | Capability of contributing to the on-line data base of /a/ and /siren/, and interactive | Capability to capitalize analysis results and audio |
| algorithm control. | discussions with speech therapy experts. | files |
| not targeted to speech therapy, no dedicated support in relation with voice therapy | Capability of automatic generation of speech-therapy report for the compilation of all speech indicators | Speech therapy report |
Written by E. Sicard, 11.03.2014
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